This invention relates to an apparatus for the measurement and numerical description of a head or other three-dimensional object.
In the making of head measurements in accordance with standard anthropometric methods it has been customary to measure such characteristics as the circumference, length, breadth, and height of heads, using calipers and tape measures. From these measurements heads have been categorized into various sizes. This has certain shortcomings since there are so many different combinations of the more common anthropometric features of heads in a large population of men.
For the development of the most efficient ballistic protective helmets for use by infantry soldiers as well as other military personnel it has become important to find new ways of measuring and characterizing heads so that the most efficient shape and dimensions can be incorporated in the smallest number of different helmets, thus reducing logistic problems to a minimum while providing maximum safety and comfort. It is of little value from a military standpoint to provide helmets of excellent ballistic resistance if soldiers are going to abandon their helmets when they find themselves in a very difficult military situation where a slight interference with critical combat actions may spell the difference between survival and death. Innumerable helmets have been discarded when they were most needed because of either actual or fancied interference with the firing of a rifle or other combat problems attributed to the helmets made in accordance with prior designs and methods.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for measuring and numerically describing heads to enable the designing of better fitting and more effective helmet shapes and sizes, particularly for military personnel.
A further object is to provide an apparatus for measuring and numerically describing a wide variety of three-dimensional objects, including feet, torso, and other portions of the anatomy, or even inanimate three-dimensional objects.
Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in connection with the appended claims.